Although collecting in the grapes used for wines in the Canaries is usually associated with late August and early September, a Gran Canaria producer is already staking a claim to be the earliest harvester – at least on his own island.
Adal Álvarez’s small vineyards in San Bartolomé de Tirajana were considered ripe for picking even before the summer got into full swing and he set to work gathering in the grapes of the albillo crillo and malvasia volcánica varieties to start making his wines.
His small Loz Azules estate on the coast is one of the lowest-altitude vineyards that make up the Gran Canaria Denomination of Origin quality label and fears of a considerably reduced crop this year have been realised.
Just 340 kilos of grapes were the outcome of the island’s first recorded harvest, well down on last year’s 1030 kilos, with the shortfall attributed to an outbreak of a virus that affected part of the vines, aided by the damper weather of recent months.
Despite the setback, Álvarez is confident that he can make the most of the existing grapes to turn them into dry white wine at his winery situated further north in Santa Brigida.
Elsewhere on Gran Canaria, the harvest is predicted to be slightly later than usual due to the weather conditions this year, but producers are optimistic that total production can at least match the 2024 figure.
Although around three quarters of the Canaries’ total volume of wine is produced in Tenerife and Lanzarote, Gran Canaria is fast acquiring a reputation for wines with a distinct personality and their own idiosyncrasies derived from the volcanic soils.
According to chronicles, the first vines were planted on the island as far back as the early 16th century and wines were soon exported to Spain’s colonies in South America as they coped much better with the long sea voyages compared to their counterparts from mainland Spain.
Photo: vineyard in Gran Canaria
